Dispatch calls are becoming more and more popular with subscribers of communications networks. As is known, a dispatch call, also known as a “walkie-talkie” type of call, is a half-duplex call where only one party at a time is able to speak. These types of calls are now offered by a variety of service providers, one of which is Sprint Nextel where these services are marketed under the trade names of Push-To-Talk (PTT) and Direct Connect.
As discussed above, a variety of service providers now offer dispatch calls and, additionally, various technologies are utilized for providing these types of calls. Certainly, different service providers may utilize different technologies and some service providers may even utilize different technologies in their own network for providing these types of calls to their subscribers. As can be understood, there is a need to be able to communicate across these different technologies when any particular calling party utilizing one technology desires to communicate with a called party utilizing a different technology in a dispatch call. Whereas these different technologies are generally interoperable, not all of the functional features associated with a communications device operating on one technology are available on a communications device operating on a different technology. This can present problems when these two communications devices are communicating with each other in a dispatch call and one communications device desires to use a functionality that is not available to the other communications device. Even in this circumstance where a communications device does not have the subject functionality, and thus cannot use the functionality, the use of the functionality by the other communications device may impact the communications device that does not have this functionality.
For example, in Sprint Nextel's communications network for dispatch calls, one subscriber may be utilizing the Integrated Digital Enhanced Network (iDEN) technology, as provided by Motorola, and another subscriber may have been migrated from the iDEN technology to a new 3G technology, e.g., a code division multiple access (CDMA) technology known as QChat and as provided by Qualcomm. Whereas these two different technologies are interoperable with each other, the QChat user may have functionalities available to his/her communications device that are not available to the iDEN user. This can present problems when the two subscribers are involved in a dispatch call with each other.
When the iDEN user is communicating with the QChat user in a dispatch call, either in a one-to-one call or a group call with other parties, the QChat user has the ability to select an “add member” functionality on their handset. This functionality enables the QChat user to add another QChat user or another add member Push-to-Talk capable user, e.g., Push-to-Talk over cellular user, to the dispatch call. However, the iDEN technology does not support this add member functionality. Therefore, during a dispatch call between the QChat user and the iDEN user where the QChat user has used the add member functionality to add another party to the call, the iDEN user will not be informed of the newly added call participant. This results in an unusual, and undesirable, calling experience for the iDEN user as it may result in the iDEN user hearing audio from the newly added call participant, but yet not receive any indication on their communications device to alert the iDEN user that the new participant has been added to the call, or it may result in the dispatch call being terminated immediately. This lack of identification is in contrast to the identification that any other QChat user who may be present on the call would receive when a new participant is added. The add member functionality of the QChat technology provides an indication to all QChat participants in the call that a new call participant has been added to the call. The add member functionality displays the newly added participant's talker ID on the communications devices of the QChat participants.
In addition to this situation providing a potentially undesirable user experience for the iDEN user, it may also present problems if the iDEN user is under surveillance by law enforcement officials, for example, under the provisions of the Communications Assistance for Law Enforcement Act (CALEA). In this circumstance, because the iDEN user, and thus the iDEN network, is not informed of who the newly added participants to the call are, the IDEN network may not be able to identify who the iDEN user may be talking to in the call for CALEA monitoring purposes.
Therefore, it would be desirable to provide an improved system and method for operating a user functionality in a mobile communications device, particularly where the functionality is available to one participant in a communication and not available to another participant.